Dave Zastudil re-signs with Cardinals

The Cardinals brought kicker Jay Feely back with a two-year contract earlier this offseason and now they’ve done the same with the other guy they paid to kick the ball in 2011.

Punter Dave Zastudil agreed to terms on a deal with the team, which was announced by Darren Urban of the team’s website. It’s also a two-year deal with no financial terms announced. With Feely and long snapper Mike Leach also back in the fold, the Cardinals have held onto the key parts of their kicking units from last season.

Zastudil ranked 17th in gross punting average last season, his first with the Cardinals after missing all of 2010 with a knee injury, but ranked just 28th in net average. He landed 24 of his 87 punts inside the opposition’s 20-yard line.

The contract shows that they are comfortable sticking with Zastudil for another year, but his performance wasn’t quite impressive enough to put off the chance of competition over the summer. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Arizona bring in another leg to either push or replace Zastudil before the start of the 2012 season.

This is thrilling news. I wasn’t convinced before by all the bold and audacious moves the Cardinals were making in free agency, but now I am. This re-signing does it for me — I’m buying my season tickets right now !